ODI cricket has undergone several changes over the last few years as the ICC has tried its best to maintain the balance between bat and ball in the game. Earlier, it was very tough to score more than 300 runs in an ODI innings, but now the teams are touching that score consistently. Besides, an individual player is now managing 200+ scores in a 50-overs match.
The bowlers have to bring their ‘A’ game to the table to ensure that they do not leak many runs in the first innings. Some bowlers have broken into their country’s ODI team. However, since they gave away many runs, they could not have a long career. The others created troubles for the batsmen and had long ODI careers.
Many great bowlers even bowled over 10,000 deliveries for their country. In this article, we will glance at the seven bowlers who bowled the most balls in ODI cricket.
7.Anil Kumble – 14,496 balls
Former Indian Test captain Anil Kumble made a name for himself by becoming the first Indian bowler to take all ten wickets in a single innings of an international game. He performed brilliantly in ODI cricket also.
Kumble played 271 ODIs for India, scalping 323 wickets at an economy rate of 4.30. He bowled 14,496 deliveries in his career, which equals to 2416 overs.
6.Sanath Jayasuriya – 14,874 balls
Sri Lankan all-rounder, Sanath Jayasuriya was one of the top all-rounders of his era. He was majorly known for his destructive batting in the top-order of the Sri Lankan team. Jayasuriya also excelled in the bowling department with his left-arm spin.
He bowled almost 15,000 deliveries in his career, where he had played 445 games for Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya picked up 323 wickets, with his best figures being 6/29.
